Freefall (A Vinyl Scratch Story)
by Alex Sorrow
Summary: Vinyl wakes up every night from a horrible nightmare about falling through the open sky to her demise. She wakes up, but the nightmares don't end. Suffering from hallucinations and intense emotional situations, Vinyl Scratch learns to trust the ponies she holds closest as she tries to find the truth behind her nightmares in this tale of friendship and the supernatural.
1. Beginning Descent

Her hooves flailed wildly as she spun head-over-hooves down to Equestria. The wind around her seemed to be carrying her, no, slamming her down toward the ground. Her iconic glasses fell from her face, leaving her wide red eyes exposed as she spun upside down in the free-fall. Her normally-messy mane fell into her face and obstructed her vision, making it all the more terrifying. Below was an empty field. At least she wouldn't land on anypony by accident, she thought crazily. In her panic, she didn't even think to scream. The unicorn was falling headfirst, hornfirst, into the ground, and in a moment her bones would snap as she hit the ground at Celestia-knows-what speed. She closed her eyes

and then Vinyl Scratch woke up screaming in her bed.

"Vinyl! Shut up!" came her roommate's tired voice. During the day, Octavia's reaction might have been something classy like "Do be quiet, Vinyl," but this was the middle of Princess Luna's night and Octavia was awfully sleepy due to a long concert performed the night before in Canterlot's Royal Symphony Hall. In fact, Octavia could hardly speak coherently when she arrived to the home occupied by her and Vinyl, ignoring Vinyl's jokes about classical music and instead trudging straight to her bed.

Nevertheless, Vinyl heard Octavia's rapid hoofsteps in the hallway before the tired-looking cellist appeared in the doorway to Vinyl's room.

"Wha's goin' on...?" Octavia mumbled sleepily, struggling to keep her eyes open. Vinyl noticed her mane was tangled and ragged-looking, but decided not to say anything, "Yokay?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine, Tavi," Vinyl answered, managing a grin. After the dream (nightmare) she had just had, Vinyl felt wide awake. Dear Celestia, that was better than any coffee-and-wubs mix in the morning, but Vinyl still hated it.

"Mmmkay... you sure...?" Octavia asked again, blinking away the dark spots in her vision as she yawned. Tavi drew closer to Vinyl's bed where the unicorn lie, the latter hardly daring to move out of fear that she'd begin falling again. Octavia kneeled down by her friend's bed and rested her head on the bedsheets as she observed Vinyl's scared face through drowsy eyes, "You whisper 'n your sleep e'ry nigh..."

Vinyl cursed silently. The dream hadn't been a one-night thing. It was a recurring dream, but she had never woken up screaming before. Actually, Vinyl had never gotten that close to the ground before in her dream. A cold shiver went down her back and melted in her hooves as she remembered how close she had come. She could still feel the taller blades of the grass scratching at her face as though reaching for her, welcoming her.

Vinyl blinked out of her thoughts, only to see that Octavia had fallen asleep while resting her head on Vinyl's bed. Carefully, as not to wake the lightly-snoring Tavi, Vinyl took her pillow and gently placed it under Octavia's head as she quietly crept out from under the warm blankets. Then, taking care not to make a sound, Vinyl stalked out of the room down the hallway.

The Canterlot house shared by both Vinyl and Octavia was a bit small, but seemed quite spacious in these late hours. The moon outside illuminated the living room with a dim white light. Somepony (Vinyl) had left the glass door out to the porch wide open, letting in a cool air, but Vinyl didn't shiver until she thought of how warm and inviting her blankets were. Even so, she trotted outside onto the back porch.

The porch was actually a fancy patio, suspended on the edge of Canterlot. If somepony were to lean over the side of the railing, they would see down the side of the mountain to the sprawling Equestrian landscape below. There was Ponyville in the distance, and Cloudsdale in the sky. If it was a very clear day, Vinyl supposed she could see all the way to Manehatten. She had never actually seen Manehatten, but despite Octavia's constant nagging that it was impossible, Vinyl had never given up trying.

All-in-all, it was a strange place to go for comfort after having a nightmare about falling to your death.

Tonight, Vinyl stared up into the moon and the dark sky beyond it, which was dotted with little stars. It was a wonderful place to just be alone, in solitude, and think. Vinyl was thinking more about falling than anything else as she gripped the railing with both hooves, refusing to look down without realizing it. She thought of the windy sensation, and the feeling of being completely helpless as she spun through the air. There was literally no way to save herself in the nightmare. Vinyl looked down below, and a dizziness pounded in her head. Her hooves gripped the railing tighter.

"Come on!" She shouted at the night, bringing her right hoof up and back down to hit the railing, making it quiver a little, "Why is this happening to me?! Why?!"

Vinyl collapsed on the porch, letting her left hoof slide off the railing down to the crumpled and broken figure that was Equestria's most famous DJ (in her opinion). It was there, lying on the floor outside on the porch, that Vinyl did something that she hadn't done in a long time.

Vinyl Scratch, the DJ-P0N3, cried.

"So Vinyl, did you remember to pick up the chips?"

Vinyl was pulled back from her thoughts about taquitos to reality by Octavia, who was enjoying a large glazed donut for breakfast. Vinyl thought back to the day before, skipping over the hour she had spent outside in the cold night sobbing like a little filly in her mind's DVD player. _Had_ she remembered to pick up the chips? First she had met up with Neon Lights at his private recording studio, left and went to a store to pick up the new Gryffallica and Dragonhorse albums and a new pair of headphones to listen to them with. She prayed to Celestia that she remembered to pick up a bag of chips while she was there, but yesterday had been a bit of a blur. Maybe Neon had slipped something into her drink. Either that or it was the seven hayburgers she had eaten for breakfast and then followed up by drinking twelve Manticore Energy Drinks.

Octavia noticed the desperate look on Vinyl's face and sighed, "Oh Vinyl. You couldn't have forgotten those chips. It was the only thing I asked you to get for the party tonight. It was our deal, I'd get the punch, arrange the invitations, tidy up the house, and prepare everything, and you had to get the chips-"

"And not invite any of my 'rowdy' friends, Tavster," Vinyl interrupted with a grin.

"But I know you did anyway. Remember, I sent out the invitations," Octavia shook her head, opening the pantry door. Vinyl closed her eyes and sighed, waiting for Octavia to tell her to run down to the closest market or shop to purchase a bag of chips, but to her surprise Octavia was smiling.

"You _did_ get the chips!" She exclaimed, "Vinyl Scratch, I'm sorry for ever doubting you."

"I did...? I mean, of course I did, Octy! What, you thought I'd let ya down? Have a little faith!"

"Well, if you can behave yourself tonight, maybe I will," Octavia said through a mouthful of donut as she took the last few bites and followed it with a small glass of milk. Vinyl was filled with relief, but tried not to let it show on her face as she stared at her breakfast, a stack of fluffy golden-brown pancakes dripping with hoof-churned butter and mouth-wateringly sweet syrup.

Later that evening, a large party (which Octavia insisted on referring to as a "social event" instead of party) was taking place in their house. The usual group of friends was invited, Lyra, Bon Bon, The Doctor, Derpy, as well as Minuette, Colgate, Berry Punch, Golden Harvest, Carrot Top, all the members of Octavia's ensemble, and (naturally) some of Vinyl's rowdy friends. A group of singers who had taken the name "The Dazzlings" was to perform. Octavia had initally wanted to hire the Ponytones (very popular in Ponyville the last time she had visited), but the Ponytones hadn't answered their letters.

Octavia straightened her pink bowtie before taking another donut from a large box sitting on the counter, this time a chocolate one adorned with colorful sprinkles, and glanced at Vinyl with a raised eyebrow. Uncharacteristically, Vinyl immediately felt self-conscious (Octy had that effect on ponies), and suddenly became very interested in eating her pancakes.

"Where are your glasses?" Octavia finally asked, taking a bite from the donut and letting her eyes droop dreamily as the wonderful flavor registered in her mouth.

"Um, they're called 'shades', Tavi."

"I don't care, but aren't you going to wear them?" Octavia questioned, "You never take them off! Are you finally deciding to look respectable for the social event tonight?"

"No, I'm definitely going to wear them," Vinyl said, devouring the last of her pancakes in a second before getting up, leaving her syrup-covered plate on the table, and then she began to trot out of the house.

"Get a haircut!" Octavia called after her. Vinyl grinned. _Oh, Tavi._

The streets of Canterlot were often bustling with activity, mostly classy ponies dressed in suits and (Vinyl snickered whenever she saw anypony wearing one) monocles. Certainly a place suited to somepony like Octavia at first glance, but there was a lively underground scene that was perfectly suited to somepony like (who else) DJ-P0N3. Members of this hidden scene often occupied night clubs (Vinyl's personal favorite), bars (Berry Punch was well-known for winning several drinking contests against several ponies... without stopping), music stores (Vinyl had worked in one at one point in her life), and shady restaurants (where you could get a burger and fries with a side of bloody knife and an apple cider). Sometimes they were seen on the streets, sometimes not. It was only the way things went.

Today, Vinyl trotted down the street, slower than usual as she thought about her dream even more. She was embarrassed to think of the long hour she had spent lying on the porch, remorselessly letting tears stream from her red eyes and choking, crying sounds emerge from her throat as she lie in the frigid cold over the porch. Embarrassed, yet relieved.

Vinyl arrived at a favorite nightclub of hers after a short, philosophical trot, a huge place called "The Dragon's Claw". Not the snazziest name ever, but it worked. She stepped inside to a nearly vacant club, aside from unconscious stallions who had had too much to drink the night before and were now moaning as they awoke to pounding hangovers and annoyed employees, who were cleaning up the place and telling the drunk stallions to get out. The nightclub was like this every morning, but at night? At night the bar was crowded, the dance floor was full, and everypony enjoyed themselves. She would know, seeing as she was frequently hired to perform here. Maybe that was why it was called a "nightclub". Maybe.

"Ah! DJ-P0N3! Good to see you! No shades today, I see."

Vinyl turned to see the wild-maned nightclub owner, a stallion by the name of Diamond Rough, lumbering toward her with a wide grin on his face. On his trot over to Vinyl, he clumsily knocked over a small table but didn't seem to notice. Instead, he seized Vinyl's hoof with both of his and shook it vigorously. Vinyl always admired how a stallion of his age still had so much energy and enthusiasm. Finally, he released her hoof and cast her a stern look.

"I hope you aren't here to steal more of my business," he said, unsuccessfully trying to keep a straight face.

"It's just for one night!" Vinyl replied indignantly, "Keep that attitude up, and I won't invite you."

"You wouldn't invite the stallion who gave you your first job as a DJ?!" Diamond gasped in mock surprise, clutching a hoof to his heart, "Dear Celestia, Vinyl!"

"You didn't give me my first DJ gig, you've just given me most of them."

"Oh, so I hire you to perform here ten nights a week..." Diamond grumbled, "I see how it is..."

"Oh, quit it, Rough. You can come if you want," Vinyl sighed with a small grin on her face.

"Sorry Vinyl, can't make it. I've got a poker game with Trenderhoof and Rightful Vice tonight," He revealed with a sly gleam in his eye, "Maybe I'll swing by if I've got time."

Before Vinyl could respond, she felt a heavy hoof clop down on her shoulder. Surprised, she turned to see a big, sober-looking (but looks can be deceiving) stallion who was flashing her a wide grin, showing off his white teeth, the sleazy teeth of a sleazy chariot dealer or sleazy magician. In any case, this was definitely a sleazy pony. His name was (Vinyl shuddered at the mere mention of it, but only because she was thinking of those hypnotic teeth of his) Primary Alley. He was definitely a despicable pony.

"Eyyy," He said in his seedy voice, "If it ain't Vinyl Scratch! You come lookin' for me? Finally ready to 'ave a drink?"

"I don't drink all that much, thanks," Vinyl said, slowly inching away from Primary, who took it as his cue to advance on her.

"Come on, hon," Primary said, refusing to be shot down... again, "We is in a bar, y'know. Come on. Let's have us a good time."

"She said no, for Celestia's sake," Diamond said in an agitated tone as he went around Vinyl into Primary's face, "And if you don't get out of here in 10 seconds, I'm calling the Guards and banning you from The Dragon's Claw! 10...9...8..."

"A'ight, A'ight, I'm goin'," Primary huffed, turning toward the door. Just before he stepped out, he turned over and glanced at Vinyl one last time and winked, "But if the mare here ever wants to have some fun..."

"I said _get out_!" Diamond shouted, causing Vinyl to jump in surprise and finally convincing Primary to leave. Diamond turned to Vinyl with an exasperated expression, "Sorry about that, Vinyl. You came all the way here, and find that jerk harassing ya! Anything I can do to help?"

"Nah, man," Vinyl said, grinning widely, "I'm used to his type coming up to me at shows. It happens."

"But-"

"Shh," Vinyl said, holding up a hoof to her lips, "It happens. Now then, I came here to get some champagne or wine or whatever fancy drink you have in the back. I know Tavi won't approve, but I know that the ponies I invited won't be satisfied with a few bottles of Applejack Daniels!"

Diamond thought for a moment, and then clapped his hooves together, "I may have something, but it's very expensive."

"How expensive? I've got about… 9 bits. Maybe 10 at home."

"It costs 400," Diamond answered with an apologetic smile.

"Oh," Vinyl said tonelessly, "Well..."

"Yeah," Diamond smiled, "Anything else I can do for you?"

"Nah man, that's it," Vinyl said, backing toward the door, "I'm gonna go. No hard feelings about the party though, right?"

"Of course not," Diamond waved the question off, "Now run along, I have to clean up for tonight... if anypony shows up."

"Oh, it'll mostly be Octy's type at the party."

"I'm sure it will," Diamond sniffed.

The party was in full swing before Vinyl could blink behind her shades, which was something she always admired about parties. It was such a bore waiting for everypony to show up. The party had so far gone quite well. The Dazzlings hadn't shown up, so Octavia was worried about what they were going to do for music. Vinyl had pointed out that they were both musicians and asked why Octavia thought they needed to hire music in the first place. Octavia had given her an incredulous look and then retorted that hiring music had been Vinyl's idea.

That meant it was up to Vinyl to find a solution.

She thought about it for a long fifteen seconds and then set up her DJ stand with a few huge speakers with the help of a few of her "rowdy" friends, who had invited some of their "wild" friends, who had brought along some of their "psychotic" friends, and even a few of Vinyl's "Octavia-ran-out-of-terms-for-rambunctious-ponies" friends showed up. Perhaps the party would've turned out the opposite of what Octavia had wanted, but fortunately she had invited her "classy" friends and "upper-class" friends, and even went so far as to invite her "Vinyl-these-ponies-are-the-complete-opposite-of-your-friends-please-don't-ruin-this-for-me" friends. The party turned into a strange mixture of formal and informal, restrained and unrestrained, classy and punk. Vinyl marvelled at how smoothly it was working out, a stallion in a tuxedo talking with an intrigued-looking mare with a stud in her nose and her mane dyed black. Vinyl knew her friend Pinkie Pie from Ponyville would've been proud to see a party like this, and then realized that she hadn't remembered to invite her. Vinyl felt guilty, but then remembered that Ponyville was a fair distance away. Maybe Pinkie wouldn't have came even if she had received an invitation.

With the party like this, torn between classy and punk, and Vinyl as DJ, she was a bit confused as to what she was supposed to play for music. If she fulfilled her sacred duty and played wubs, she'd drive Octavia's ponies away. If she went against everything she'd ever done and played classical music, she'd offend her own kind. In the end, Vinyl decided on playing dubstep remixes of a few of Octavia's favorite symphonies. She had been working on the remixes for Octavia's birthday, but now seemed like a good time for an early birthday present.

With just a few knob turns (and the playing of a record), the music began. At first, everypony looked around at each other confused as Ponythoven's Fifth Symphony, distorted with wubs, began playing. A few silent moments passed, everypony's faces like concrete. The complete opposite reaction of what Vinyl was used to, which was crowds screaming for joy as a song started. For a moment, she wondered if everypony hated it. Maybe she should've tried a symphonic version of a dubstep song...

All at once, everypony began cheering on the unique blend of two musical genres that Vinyl had created. It had the trademark pounding of wubs mixed with the fragile melodies of an orchestrial piece. Octavia (whom Vinyl noticing staring in disbelief) would have described it as "quite an extraordinary bit of music". Vinyl grinned, and for a moment felt on top of the world.

But then she fell.

For a moment, Vinyl was falling again, spiraling through the skies as she plummeted toward the ground below. What she was seeing didn't register with her though; hadn't she just been playing music at the party?

Vinyl blinked, and suddenly found herself back at the party. Flashes of the falling sensation came over her every few seconds, like the rush of the wind, the way her own mane slapped her in the wind as she desperately tried to grab onto something (dear Celestia don't let it end like this). She flashed back and forth from the party to the sky, back to the party, back to the abyss, back to reality, back to falling into madness on the slow descent to Tartarus.

Vinyl put a hoof to her forehead, and stumbled down from her DJ stand. There were a few snickers, and Vinyl heard somepony whisper "Drunk?" to her friends. Vinyl ignored them. She left a few friends of hers to take control of the music while she found her way outside on the porch, whimpering as she stepped out the door. Her head felt like it was being split open. Was this what crazy felt like?

Usually she wondered why she came out here for comfort, but for now she was just grateful that nopony else was out here. She could easily see a drunken stallion find his way out here to puke over the railing or a young mare and stallion couple seek some "alone time" (wink wink). It was Vinyl's solitude, and she had never been more thankful for it.

Vinyl groaned as the once-nightmare now became a vivid hallucination, the likes of which no drug-induced daydream could compare. She felt as though the porch beneath her hooves would split open at any moment or tilt completely sideways, leaving her to fall down the side of the mountain. Maybe she'd get lucky and hit her head on the way down so she wouldn't have to witness her own death for the thousandth time since the fateful night she had gotten the first nightmare. What in Tartarus was happening to her?

Just when it seemed that it couldn't get any worse, the door opened and a stallion stepped onto the porch.

"Hey-yo, DJ-P0N3," Primary Alley greeted, grinning with those teeth of his once more, "Looks like we finally got ourselves some alone time."

"Prime... get Octavia..." Vinyl pleaded, looking at Alley with tears in her eyes. She had kept the dreams secret from her roommate since she first started having them, but the time had finally come to tell Tavi, "I need... help..."

"I can get ya all the help ya need," Primary said, his smile going wider as he stepped closer to Vinyl. He wrapped his hooves around her, squeezing her white coat against his dark purple one, and whispered in her ear, "Kiss me, Vinyl."

_What are you doing, you creep?!_ Vinyl tried to yell, but suddenly she was shaking too badly to let out the slightest whisper, let alone resist the stronger stallion. The hallucination was starting to affect her physically as well as mentally.

"Shh..." He said, running a hoof through her mane. Vinyl felt like puking (preferably on him), but she went limp instead as she nearly fell unconscious. Reality was fading, and the dream was everything. She was no longer being held by the suspicious stallion, instead she was screaming as she fell through the sky.

_No! I've got to wake up... get away from Primary..._

Vinyl's face winced in pain in reality as she forced herself to snap out of the nightmare. She reached up a hoof, and grabbed at Primary's face, trying to shove him away from her. Primary didn't notice, instead taking off her shades and throwing them away from the two ponies. This porch, the place she had so long come to for comfort, for an escape to be herself, was now going to be the place that Primary Alley had taken her for himself.

Her mouth was dry, and she could hardly breathe, yet Vinyl managed to scream.

"Octavia!" She shouted, yearning to see the pony who had stood with her for so long, the pony Vinyl called her best friend, "_Octavia! Somepony! Help me!_"

"Ssh, it's just us right now," Primary whispered, covering her mouth with his hoof. Vinyl wanted to bite him, but he wisely kept his hoof over her mouth instead of in it. He had seen Vinyl on the porch and knew it was the perfect opportunity. Everypony else was inside, listening to pounding music. In addition, it was beginning to rain heavily over Canterlot. They wouldn't be noticed out here. Vinyl felt her strength draining; had Primary drugged her? Impossible, she hadn't had anything to drink.

Primary withdrew his hoof from her mouth, and licked it, dropping Vinyl gently onto her back, leaving her sprawled out on the cold porch floor.

"N-no... please, Celestia, no..." Vinyl whimpered, closing her eyes so she wouldn't have to look at the stallion standing over her.

"Just sit there, Vinyl," Primary told her, "I can do most of the work."

"_You son of a-!_"

Primary was suddenly gone as a dark blur slammed into him from the side. Vinyl managed to roll onto her side, and saw two forms thrashing together. She blinked, trying to clear her vision, and then saw a gray pegasus on top of Primary, throwing punches everywhere she could see while Primary feebly tried to defend himself.

"Derpy...?" Vinyl's tiny voice was lost in the downpour of rain.

Another stallion was suddenly there, his coat whipping around in the harsh winds outside, and he grabbed Vinyl's shoulders.

"Vinyl? Vinyl, stay with me! You're going to be fine! Ditzy, stop it, Ditzy...!"

"Doctor..." Vinyl said in relief. In one part of her mind, the darker half, she felt herself beginning to fall again. It felt as though she was in control of two bodies, one being shaken by the Doctor and the other helplessly falling through the sky, "Find Octavia..."

"Ditzy, get off him! Of course, Vinyl, but we have to get you some help first. Are you hurt?"

"You tried to _hurt_ her! _I know what you were trying to do to her!_" Derpy was screaming as she whacked Primary with her hooves over and over again.

Chaos. The mythical Lord of Chaos Discord (though Vinyl believed that Discord was real and had in fact been in Ponyville recently. Octavia, along with many other ponies, didn't agree) would have been overwhelmed with this scene. Vinyl was flashing back and forth between reality and nightmare while Ditzy Do "Derpy" Hooves continued to beat Primary's face with every ounce of strength she had. The Doctor was trying to keep everything in control, but his yells for calm were silenced by the heavy rain. The sound of water hitting the ground was deafening. Beyond it was the music from inside, and the muffled yells of many delighted ponies partying inside.

Vinyl felt herself being picked up by the Doctor as he tried to get her onto her hooves. She steadied herself, putting one hoof on the Doctor's shoulder. Vinyl put her mouth to his ear, and whispered.

"You'll find Octavia...?" She asked, feeling herself drawing closer to the grass as she fell. She fell even as she leaned on her friend, if that made any sense. The rain slapped her continuously. The Doctor nodded and Vinyl smiled, "Good..."

Vinyl's hoof left the Doctor's shoulder. Her hooves left the floor below her as she began to fall down, adding to the feeling of vertigo she had in the nightmare. The Doctor gasped and tried to catch her, but his hoof just barely missed. Derpy was crying as she continued to hit Primary, who was now coughing as his nose bled and his eyes bruised.

And then Vinyl hit the ground, both in reality and in her nightmare.


	2. Gaining Speed

2

"...don't know how it happened..."

"...sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so..."

"...hard enough getting her out of that party without Cheese Sandwich waving that dumb rubber chicken around..."

"...think Vinyl's waking up..."

Vinyl slowly climbed up a long, black tunnel and found herself back in consciousness. She felt a pillow behind her. There was bright sunlight coming through one of the windows, making the white room even whiter. It hurt Vinyl's eyes, and she didn't even have her shades. Where'd she leave them this time? Sometimes it was in Octavia's room (don't ask why Vinyl was there in the first place), sometimes on her DJ stand, sometimes...

_Oh right. Primary Alley. He tried to... to..._

"Vinyl, can you hear me?"

One voice above all the rest. Vinyl felt immense relief to hear her voice.

"Octavia..." She whispered, her voice coming out dry and cracked. Her vision was blurry, but she could make out a few shapes. She felt somepony gently grab her hoof.

"I'm here, Vinyl. Come on... wake up."

Vinyl blinked a few times and groaned in pain. The hooves holding her own suddenly gripped tighter. Through the thick haze, Vinyl could start to make out Octavia's wide purple eyes.

"Vinyl...!"

"Oohhh..." Vinyl moaned, and then grinned at Octavia, "Come on, Tavi... just five more minutes..."

Octavia blinked once, staring at Vinyl with her mouth slightly open and eyes wide, and then she moved so swiftly that for a moment, Vinyl thought she was going to slap her. Instead, Octavia wrapped her hooves around Vinyl in a hug.

"Don't... you ever... do this... again..." Octavia said through deep breaths.

"I won't, Tavster. I promise," Vinyl said, closing her eyes and smiling.

When Vinyl and Octavia had finally parted from their warm embrace, Vinyl looked around. The first thing that she noticed was that she was lying in a bed in what looked like a hospital room. She wasn't wearing a hospital gown and didn't have any needles stuck in her leg, so she assumed that meant she was fine. The second thing Vinyl noticed was that the Doctor and Derpy were standing at the foot of her bed.

"Hey! Doctor! Derpmeister! Good to see ya!" Vinyl greeted them cheerfully, but her smile faded when she saw the solemn expression on the Doctor's face and the tears flowing down Derpy's face, "What happened...?"

The Doctor opened his mouth like he was about to speak, but no sound came out. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth again, but then Derpy let out a loud cry, and fled from the room. Vinyl, smile now completely gone, stared at the doorway long after Derpy had gone. She turned toward the Doctor.

"What happened?" She asked him. The stallion awkwardly adjusted his tie and smoothed his jacket. Clearing his throat one last time, the Doctor began to speak.

"I'm not sure if you remember, but you had gone out to the balcony-"

"It's more of a porch, really," Vinyl interrupted.

"Ditzy and I were outside at the time, investigating a possible lead on Zarbi in Equestria-"

"What's a Zarbi?" Octavia asked.

"Giant ant-like things with two strange-looking legs... I'd rather not go into detail. Anyway, the lead turned out to just be a fruit bat-"

"Vampire fruit bat."

"Oh, can everypony please stop interrupting-" The Doctor exclaimed, but stopped when he saw who had spoken. Derpy had returned to the room, and was wiping tears from her face. She went over to the corner and stood there, staring emotionless at the floor. The Doctor looked back toward Vinyl, appearing at a loss for words, and then continued.

"Right... well then, the lead turned out to be a VAMPIRE fruit bat. Ditzy and I were both quite disappointed, but then we heard you screaming for help from the balcony."

_Porch_, Vinyl thought.

"Ditzy had wings, so she was up there faster than I was. I had to go through the house and fight my way through a crowd of party ponies! One of them almost spilled his Applejack Daniels on my jacket... don't know where he would've got that..."

_Oops..._ Vinyl thought, grinning a bit.

"When I got to the balcony, you were on your back, delirious and mumbling things, and Ditzy was... well... repeatedly slamming... that stallion's head into the floor... It didn't take the brightest stallion in the world to piece together what was going on. I tried helping you up, but then..."

"I fell, didn't I?" Vinyl finished. The Doctor nodded without taking his serious-looking eyes from her. Vinyl looked around, "But... what happened to Primary?"

There was no response. Octavia looked away from her and suddenly became very interested in what was outside the window. The Doctor shifted his weight on his hooves awkwardly. Derpy finally lifted her gaze from the floor, staring in Vinyl's direction but not at Vinyl, and said, very plainly:

"I killed him."

And with that, Derpy burst into tears once more.

Vinyl sat alone in the room, trying to sleep. A nurse had came in, and told her she'd have to stay in the hospital another night for "possible schizophrenia evaluation". Vinyl had argued (like it would help) that she was feeling fine, only a slight headache, but the nurse had been adamant about making her stay.

So here she was, lying in a bed. Vinyl pulled the blanket over her. She listened for a sound, but the only thing she could hear was a soft hum from the lights. Vinyl threw the blanket off her. She had done enough sleeping, but was that truly the reason she was so restless? Perhaps she was afraid to close her eyes, afraid that when she opened them she'd be 100 feet in the air falling, with the ground coming at her-

"Vinyl?"

Vinyl had just been dozing off when there came a quiet whisper from her left. Vinyl jumped in fear and surprise, but then noticed Derpy lurking over to the side of her bed.

"Oops, sorry. I didn't mean to startle you..." Ditzy Doo apologized, standing up straighter and putting her front hooves on the bed. Vinyl relaxed, now recognizing the mare.

"Oh, of course not. You? Startle me?" Vinyl joked, trying to create a lighter mood. Derpy let out a small grin, but her eyes twinkled with tears even as the grin appeared and then vanished. She let out a sigh, and Vinyl decided that now wasn't really the time for jokes (It never was, was it?), "I'm only kidding, Derpy. I... I really owe you for saving me. Primary was going to..."

"I know, Vinyl," Derpy whispered, "It's just... I killed him."

"He might've killed me."

"The party shut down when the paramedics arrived. They took you away on a stretcher... and they took him away in a body bag. I... I couldn't stop crying..." Derpy told Vinyl, while distantly surveying the floor, "The Royal Guards took me away and made me tell them everything that happened..."

"They couldn't throw you in some dungeon, you were protecting me!"

"There's justice in Equestria, Vinyl. I'm not going to be thrown into a dungeon," Derpy said with a weak (though reassuring) smile, "It's just... I killed a pony that night... I... actually...killed..."

"First of all, stop saying that," Vinyl interrupted. Derpy looked over at her with a surprised expression, "You're not a killer. You're Derpy, and you saved my life. Second of all, Primary was a creep. If it hadn't been me, it would've been somepony else. He took the opportunity to attack me, and you stopped him. You're a hero, Ditzy."

"It's not that simple!" Derpy yelled, "I thought I was just punching him. I-I-I wanted to kill him, but I never thought I actually would! His head... the back of his skull cracked on the balcony, and he died even as I sat on top of him, hitting his lifeless face with my hooves!"

"Derpy-"

"No Vinyl! I'm a murderer! I could kill anypony next! I could kill _you_!" Derpy shouted, more tears starting to stream down her face. She looked to the ceiling and roared: "_I WANT TO KILL __**MYSELF**_!"

There was a sudden silence in the room as Vinyl stared at Derpy, who buried her face in her hooves and cried. Vinyl looked at the Pegasus, and felt something. She wasn't sure what it was. Fear definitely, but also... what was it? Pity? Sorrow?

A distant memory of Octavia scolding Vinyl as she was brought home by Royal Guards surfaced in Vinyl's mind. I'm worried about you, Vinyl, Octavia had said, You're going to ruin your life. Vinyl shivered, finally coming up with the right word.

Sympathy.

"I... I'm sorry, Vinyl..." Derpy said quietly, the rage leaving her, "It's just..."

"Why?" Vinyl asked. Derpy looked over, confused, "Why did you do it? It'd be one thing if you just knocked him off me, but you... you kept hitting him. Why?"

Derpy sighed, "Because... when I saw you lying on your back with him standing over you... I knew what he was going to do... and it made me remember..."

"Remember...?" Vinyl asked. Suddenly she realized what Derpy meant, and her blood went cold.

"Somepony like him came after me one day..." Derpy continued, not looking at Vinyl, "But there was nopony to save me. After he... I couldn't sleep... or talk to anypony... or eat... They never found the stallion who... who..."

"Derpy..." Vinyl leaned forward and took her friend's hoof to comfort her, "You never told us this."

"No..." Derpy agreed, tears continuing to fall from those strange eyes of hers, "I felt... like it was all my fault... and I thought none of you would like me anymore..."

"Of course we'd like you," Vinyl said with a reassuring smile, "You're our friend, and nothing can change that."

Derpy smiled, and the two sat alone in the dark hospital room, both in deep thought. Vinyl admired how cheerful Derpy had always been, knowing that the stallion who had raped her was never caught. She wondered what her wall-eyed friend was thinking.

There was suddenly a loud whirring sound as a strong wind blew through the room. There came a sound like the very air itself was being pressurized around them. Vinyl gripped the blanket in fear as her mane whipped around in the tornado that the room had become while Derpy simply sighed.

"Why is he here...?" She mumbled to herself.

At the foot of Vinyl's bed, a large blue shape began to form. At first it was transparent, and became more solid as that sound continued. Finally, a large blue box stood tall in the room. Vinyl could have sworn it seemed familiar (like she had seen it in Canterlot, but never paid any attention to it) while Derpy only scowled. Near the top of the box, there were signs that read "POLICE BOX". A door on the side opened and a certain stallion stepped out.

"'Evening, Vinyl!" The Doctor announced, "Ignore this box, it's not important. Oh, Ditzy! You're here too! Brilliant!"

"D-Doctor...?" Vinyl stammered in disbelief, "What... how..."

"He's always doing this," Derpy said, "Like when you showed up at, or rather IN my house on Hearth's Warming Eve."

"That was a special occasion, and I didn't want to be late!" The Doctor defended himself.

Derpy scoffed, "How can you be late if it travels through ti-"

"Whoa, whoa, what?" A very bewildered Vinyl interrupted, looking from Derpy to the Doctor to the box, "What's going on? What are you...?"

"Oh, just decided to pop on by, see how you're doing, find out where Ditzy disappeared to, all that," The Doctor answered, "Not much, really. "

"I-" Vinyl couldn't think of a reply to the Doctor's fast, smooth talking, "Visiting hours are over!"

"Yes, but you're glad for the company, aren't you?" The Doctor grinned, sliding over next to Derpy at the side of Vinyl's bed, "I'd imagine so, seeing how boring this room is. Lucky for you, you get to go home tomorrow! Oh, blimey... I feel bad for whatever poor soul has to stay here for more than a few days..."

"Ooh, that's right, Vinyl! You get to go home tomorrow morning! We're all coming to see you out... I think Lyra and Bon Bon are making a cake to celebrate!"

"You guys don't have to go through all that trouble," Vinyl said, flattered that her friends cared that much.

"Oh, no we don't," The Doctor replied, "But we're still going to!"

No matter what The Doctor had said about how boring the hospital room was, he was in no hurry to leave. Derpy had to practically shove him back inside the blue box so Vinyl could get some sleep. Derpy had bid her farewell, bye, see you tomorrow morning, and then climbed into the box with The Doctor. Vinyl wondered how they could both fit inside such a cramped-looking box. The box had made that strange air-pressurizing sound again, and then disappeared.

Alone, Vinyl tried once more to get to sleep. Usually, sleep was something to be avoided at all costs. Party all night and take a few of Tavi's donuts in the morning was a strict code she lived by, but tonight would be an exception.

However, no matter how many times she laid her head in different spots on the pillow, no matter how much she adjusted the blanket, no matter how long she kept her eyes closed, Vinyl just couldn't drift off into slumber. Her thoughts were racing about her brief encounter with Derpy (and also about where The Doctor had gotten a magical disappearing box, but mostly about Derpy). Who knew such a quiet, but joyful pony could hide such a dark secret?

Vinyl yawned, and stared at the spot that the blue box had been. Was it an illusion? Some sort of magic, perhaps? Or maybe-

The next thing Vinyl knew, she was being nudged awake by a green stallion in a white doctor's uniform.

"Wake up, Miss Scratch," He whispered gently, "It's almost noon. Are you feeling alright? You get to leave today... are you awake?"

"Y-yeah man," Vinyl said, yawning as she stretched her front legs out into the air and then her bottom legs, "Almost noon? I can do better than that..."

"Yes, well..." the stallion, identified as Doctor Greenluck by his nametag, said, pulling up a clipboard with his unicorn magic, "Ahem, you'll have to take it easy for a few days, so no wild parties, no inappropriate beverages, and no excessive physical stress. You'll also have to start taking naps, as part of your psychiatric treatment. Not long naps, maybe from noon to two."

"Gotcha," Vinyl said, throwing the blanket aside and slowly climbing out of her bed onto shaky hooves, "But I still get wubs though, right?"

"Wubs...?" Greenluck questioned, looking at Vinyl with a raised eyebrow, "Erm... oh, right. Wubs... music. Of course... but at an appropriate volume! Loud music can severely affect your mental state, Miss Scratch."

"Awh man," Vinyl said with a slight whine in her voice, "Ah well. Better then going stone cold, I guess."

"Come with me, I'll show you out," Greenluck offered, turning toward the door. Vinyl hesitated for a moment, her hooves feeling like iron and her head beginning to throb with a pounding headache, but then it cleared and she slowly (and shakily) began to follow Greenluck out to the front desk.

After all of the "boring, official hospital stuff" had been taken care of by a spectacled mare behind the front desk, Vinyl stepped out into the hospital waiting room where she was greeted with loud cheers and a bit of confetti thrown into her face. After Vinyl had recovered from her initial shock, she laughed. All of her friends, Octavia, Derpy, The Doctor, Lyra and Bon-Bon (the last two holding an oversized vanilla cake with colorful sprinkles arranged in letters reading "Vinyl Scratch" together) were waiting for her. There were a few mares sitting in the waiting room chairs, two looking over in curiosity and one fixated on a magazine. After assessing the scene, Vinyl guessed that Derpy had been the one to throw the confetti.

"What're you guys doing here?" Vinyl asked in delight, "I mean, I know Derpy told me you'd be here, but still...!"

"You told her?!" Lyra exclaimed, turning to Derpy, "Derpy, this was a surprise!"

"It was?" Derpy said, blinking in bewilderment.

"Oh well, it doesn't matter now," Octavia shrugged, stepping over to her friend and roommate, "Are you feeling alright, Vinyl?"

"I'm feeling amazing, Tavi," Vinyl smiled, stepping forward and wrapping her hooves around Octavia in a hug. Without any hesitation, Octavia hugged her back. Vinyl's smile widened, and she suddenly felt more awake than she had in days.

The group of six ponies trotted from the hospital to the home shared by Octavia and Vinyl. The Doctor told them all a story about something that had happened to him and Derpy with the occasional interruption from Derpy herself ("You didn't just flinch, you screamed!" Derpy corrected the Doctor when he told them that the "Cyberpony" had jumped at them from nowhere). The stories sounded amazing to Vinyl, and she always admired how he could come up with them out of nowhere! What a strange stallion, that Doctor.

The trip was slowed by Lyra and Bon-Bon, who were both trying to keep the large cake balanced between both of them. After Bon-Bon had nearly tripped for the 14th time, causing Lyra to scream for the 15th, Octavia finally pointed out that Lyra was a unicorn and she could carry it with magic. That arrangement greatly improved their progress.

Finally arriving at the house, Octavia opened the door to reveal a startlingly clean house. Vinyl's eyes widened as she stepped inside.

"Whoa, Tavi..." She said in awe, "Wasn't there a huge party here a few nights ago? With bottles of Applejack Daniels and rowdy ponies everywhere dancing to amazing music?"

"Of course," Octavia answered, looking over to Vinyl, "I wonder where exactly they got those bottles."

"Beats me," Vinyl lied.

"We spent all of yesterday cleaning the house so it'd be nice when you came back!" Bon-Bon announced, "It took a lot of work, even for five of us... do you have any idea how hard it is to get somepony's tie down from a chandelier?"

"Or clean up an Applejack Daniel's stain from the ceiling?" The Doctor added.

"Or to collect piercings and broken shards of glass from the carpet?" Derpy added.

"Or to-" Lyra began.

"Okay, I get the idea," Vinyl interrupted with a grin, "No more Applejack Daniel's parties."

"Wait, you knew about the-" Octavia began to scold.

"Let's not worry about the details, Tavi," Vinyl said, "Let's have some cake!"


	3. Falling Headfirst

3

After Vinyl's "Welcome Home!" party thrown by her friends finished up, Lyra and Bon-Bon took what was left of the cake home. The Doctor disappeared at some point before night fell, leaving only Octavia, Vinyl, and Derpy, who had insisted on staying the night to ensure Vinyl was okay after the brief stint in the hospital (though Vinyl assumed it was because Derpy was frightened of the dark night outside after the discussion they had had in the hospital room). With Derpy hanging around, Vinyl found it difficult to find alone time with Octavia so she could finally confide in her about the nightmares.

Vinyl hadn't had a nightmare while she was recovering the hospital, and suspected that the hallucinations that had placed her at Primary's mercy was the end of it. Or at least, she hoped it was the end of it. Even so, Vinyl still wanted to tell Octavia.

Octavia had thrown a blanket onto the couch, and told Derpy that she'd be sleeping there because they had no guest room. Vinyl remembered that they DID have a guest room, but the two musicians had been storing boxes in there so it was no longer a place for guests. Even so, Derpy didn't seem to mind. Octavia went to her room while Vinyl and Derpy remained in the living room, talking. They discussed plenty, covering a lot of topics which included Derpy's hectic move from Ponyville to Canterlot, Vinyl's latest dubstep album, why Bronyrick had left the heavy metal band Maredeth, all kinds of topics while being sure to keep a respectable distance away from what had been said in the hospital room. Somehow, Vinyl knew that she and Derpy were okay.

"...And that's why I can never listen to _Two Steps from Tartarus_ ever again," Vinyl finished her story with a gleam in her eye, "Crazy, huh?"

"Really? I... I just... I can't believe that..." Derpy responded, blinking in confusion, "Are you just messing with me?"

Vinyl put a hoof on her chest and stuck the other in the air in a promise gesture, "It happened! Swear to Celestia!"

Derpy giggled, and Vinyl felt a warm smile on her face, the first genuine one in quite some time. Vinyl wondered why she and Derpy had never really spent a lot of time together like this. Probably because Derpy was always with the Doctor doing... whatever it was they did. Vinyl wasn't sure, but she had a general theory that involved lots of... mature content.

Eventually, Vinyl remarked that it was getting late, and Derpy told her to get to bed. After all, she'd just gotten out of the hospital, and what kind of a friend would Derpy be if she let Vinyl stray from her well-needed rest? Ever the night pony, Vinyl was reluctant to go to bed so early ("It's not even midnight!" she exclaimed), but Derpy was firm, and threatened to carry Vinyl to her bed herself. Vinyl knew Derpy was right, but she wasn't happy about it. Derpy compared her to a schoolfilly who didn't want to go to bed, and even Vinyl had to admit that seemed pretty accurate.

Vinyl lie in her bed, and heard Derpy shifting her position on the couch. It was a pretty comfortable couch... compared to other places Vinyl had slept. She remembered sleeping on the floor in clubs and bars (and being nudged awake one time by Diamond Rough back at the Dragon's Claw after a particularly wacky New Year's party), falling asleep over her DJ stand and waking up with the imprints of buttons and switches on her face (Octavia hadn't been able to stop herself from laughing when Vinyl stepped into the kitchen the morning after), and even sleeping in the cold night air on the porch-

Vinyl fell asleep mid-thought.

For a moment, she only slept, her body's face curling in a content smile as the white unicorn curled up deeper into her pillow. Vinyl hadn't suffered another nightmare since the hallucinations had put her at Primary's mercy and landed her in the hospital for a day or two. The blanket over her felt like it was protecting her in its warmth, and Vinyl knew no harm could come to her while it was over her. Somewhere deep in her mind, deep inside her unknown subconscious, Vinyl was still awake and thinking deeply while the rest of her body shut down. This "thinking time" occurred on average once a month. Vinyl's self-explanation said that it was a lucid dream, but she wasn't entirely sure. Inside her thinking time, Vinyl was afraid. She feared another attack from a pony like Primary Alley. After all, her personal sanctuary (the porch) had betrayed her and nearly yielded her to Primary. What was to stop some random stallion (or mare, Vinyl realized) from breaking into the house and attacking her in her own bed?

Octavia and Derpy, Vinyl thought. Her friends were close by, and they would protect her. With this thought, her dream took on a considerably warmer feeling and Vinyl no longer felt afraid.

Until she realized that she was falling once more.

Even though these nightmares had been active for the past months, it never got any easier to deal with. Vinyl had painted a mental picture of herself, falling from Celestia-knows-what heights at Celestia-knows-what speeds with her arms crossed and a stoic expression on her face, not caring if she died. She hadn't gotten so far that she could react like that to the nightmares, especially with the "crash" that had put her in the hospital, instead screaming in a high-pitched voice as she struggled to flip herself in midair so she could at least see her oncoming doom. There was a distant crack, yet Vinyl didn't feel anything. Maybe it was a thunderstorm. Vinyl looked up at the clouds above and wondered if any Pegasus ponies were behind the puffy layer of clouds. The crack sounded again.

At times like these, when her mane was dancing in the high-speed winds and covering her eyes, Vinyl considered a manecut. Scoffing at the idea even as her limp body fell to the ground, a sack of meat ready to burst open at the seams, Vinyl could feel the grass scratching her back below, could just imagine her glazed, lifeless eyes still staring up into the clouds long after the fatal crunch had sounded after she hit the ground. The crack sounded again, closer this time. Vinyl couldn't scream, only stare up at the clouds and admire how puffy they seemed. As she stared, the clouds began to part as though they were curtains preceding a play. That had never happened before... Vinyl watched incredulously as the clouds left her vision to reveal the night sky, the moon looming over her and glowing a bright white that was almost blinding to Vinyl without her shades on. There were no stars, Vinyl noticed-

_**CRACK!**_

Vinyl sat up in her bed with a gasp, shaking her hooves as though fighting off a dream demon. She looked around, now understanding that she was no longer falling. She was safe in her bed. Around her, her red eyes surveyed her very messy room. Record sleeves, band posters and various pairs of headphones littered the floor, along with candy bar wrappers, comic books and dirty clothes (which was strange, because Vinyl couldn't remember the last time she wore clothes. Heck, she wasn't even aware that she owned any). She was unsuccessful in her search for the source of whatever had woken her up.

There came the sound of running hooves in the hallway, and then Derpy threw her bedroom door open. Vinyl was about to question why her wall-eyed friend was making all kinds of noise so late at night (or early in the morning?), but stopped when she saw Derpy's wide eyes and panicked expression.

"Did you hear that?" Derpy said through her ragged breathing.

"Hear wha-" Vinyl began to say. She was interrupted by another loud cracking noise, this one powerful enough to shake the house. Vinyl tumbled out of her bed while Derpy was thrown to the floor with a shout. Bright greenish-blue lights were thrown in from the window and covered the wall. Vinyl struggled to regain her balance on her hooves as the house finally stopped shaking. She managed to stumble over to the window just as the lights vanished.

"Dear Celestia!" Derpy exclaimed as she shakily climbed to her hooves, "What in Equestria was that?!"

"I don't know..." Vinyl said, peering out the window, "I don't see anything out there anymore. It's pitch black out there."

Derpy moaned fearfully as Vinyl continued to glance out the window. She half-expected something to press its ugly face against the window like in a horror movie, but nothing happened. Vinyl stepped away from the window in confusion; what had been making that noise? Nothing had ever woken her up from her nightmares before. She had to find out what it was.

"Come on," Vinyl said, motioning Derpy to follow her into the darkened hallway, "Let's go check it out."

Derpy stared at Vinyl in shock, "W-what?! Are you crazy? I'm not going out there! Can I just wait in your room and hide under your blankets?"

"Sure," Vinyl smirked, stepping out of her room, "You can wait here... all alone... in the dark..."

Derpy was quick to change her mind and follow Vinyl after that.

Vinyl never noticed how big the house was, and wondered why that was the first thing she noticed under the circumstances. The house was dimly lit by the light of the moon outside, but the world was still just barely visible. Vinyl heard Derpy gasp behind her and whirled around, expecting a monster but instead finding that Derpy had tripped over a chair.

Vinyl quickly realized how peaceful the house seemed in the blinding darkness and earshattering silence. It seemed like a perfect substitute for the porch, but Vinyl preferred the fresh air outside anyway. Derpy was breathing heavily, her eyes darting around in every direction. Watching Derpy's eyes move would have made anypony dizzy. Vinyl led the way, and Derpy closely followed. At one point, the gray pegasus' hoof gripped Vinyl's tail, but Vinyl hardly noticed. There was nothing out of the ordinary in the living room, nor in the kitchen.

"It was nothing, Derpy," Vinyl told a relieved pegasus.

"Are you absolutely sure?" Derpy asked, playing on her last bit of doubt, "Those were some very loud noises..."

"I don't know if anything was here, but it's gone now," Vinyl replied, suddenly feeling tired, "Look, I'll walk with you back to the couch and-"

An earsplitting shriek rang out from the back of the house. Vinyl felt her hair stand on end while Derpy yelped and fell to the floor in a shaking heap. Shiver after shiver ran down Vinyl's back, even as the scream faded and finally ended, leaving hardly an echo in the hallway the bedrooms were in.

"But... we were just in my room..." Vinyl whispered, "How did... Octavia!"

Vinyl leaped over Derpy, who was still cowering on the floor, and galloped to her best friend's room.

"Vinyl, wait!" Derpy cried after her, "Don't leave me!"

Vinyl had gone deaf to the gray pony, and threw herself down the hallway, stumbling into Octavia's room where she froze in terror, eyes staring at the bed. Derpy hurried to catch up to Vinyl, and stopped in the doorway. Vinyl heard her clap a hoof over her mouth.

"Oh my Celestia..." Derpy trailed off.

Octavia was gone, leaving only an empty bed.

Vinyl stared at the vacant bed for a moment as though waiting for Octavia to suddenly reappear in it, and then she slammed the floor with her hoof, making Derpy jump. She grit her teeth, trying to fight back warm, wet tears. A knot tightened in her stomach, and she squeezed her eyes shut. Derpy hesitated, and then put her hoof on Vinyl's shoulder.

"Vinyl... come on..." she said gently, "Let's get out of here... I'm sure Octavia is alright..."

"Who did this...?" Vinyl wondered, fighting to keep her voice even, "Who would do this?"

Derpy started to reply, and then another crack shook the house. Vinyl, insane with rage, threw herself off the ground in a frantic gallop and pushed past Derpy, accidentally knocking her friend to the floor. Vinyl stormed down the hallway and rampaged into the living room, kicking the chair that Derpy had tripped over to the side.

"Where are you?!" Vinyl screamed, "Octavia! Where are you?!"

_**CRACK!**_

From outside, there came another rumble that nearly threw Vinyl off her hooves. In addition, a bright green-blue light flashed through the windows. Vinyl stumbled backwards, caught off balance. Either some insanely powerful unicorn was lifting the house up or there was one crazy laser lightshow outside. Derpy hurried into the living room and, upon seeing the unexplained lights, yelped and ducked behind the couch.

"Vinyl! Come on!" Derpy pleaded, "We've got to get out of here!"

"Not without Octavia!"

"Vinyl-!"

Looking out the windowed back door, Vinyl and Derpy witnessed a black-cloaked figure appeared to shoot down from the sky onto the porch from outside as the rumble sounded for the final time and quickly faded. The figure landed on all four hooves, paying no attention to the two ponies inside. Instead, he turned his back to them and gazed off the porch railing, the same gaze that Vinyl herself had once held.

"Oh no!" Derpy cried, "It's the Headless Muffin! Run for your life!"

Derpy leapt out from her hiding spot behind the couch and galloped from the living room before Vinyl had a chance to ask how a bakery product could be headless. After a moment, Vinyl heard the sound of the front door opening followed by the noise of Derpy's panicked hooves fleeing from the house. It seemed that in her panic, the ditzy pony had forgotten to close the door.

Vinyl remained where she was after Derpy had gone, and took a few cautious steps toward the door to the porch. Outside, she could see the figure still unmoving. Vinyl quietly pulled the door open, and flinched when it made a squeaking sound. Still, the figure didn't turn around. Vinyl stepped outside onto the porch, and as she reached to pull the door closed, she realized that her hooves were shaking. In her confusion, Vinyl had overlooked one crucial fact:

She was terrified.

"Quite... assssstonissshing, issssn't it?" the figure spoke in a voice like smoke. Vinyl's heart sank into icy waters as her mind raced for a response.

"Yes?" She finally came up with.

The figure chuckled, the sound like paper caught in a fan, "Thisssss moon... sssstill haunted by the ghosssst of what you poniesssss call Nightmare Moon."

Vinyl could hardly understand the figure when he lingered on his "S" sounds, but still managed to piece together what he said.

"Where's Octavia?" She asked before she could stop herself.

"Your friend was temporarily drawn from this plane of existence," The figure replied in a solid, deep voice. Vinyl was caught off-guard by the sudden change from unmoving snake to cold rock in the figure's voice.

"W-what does that mean?"

The figure turned around to reveal a dark face underneath the black hood. White eyes were visible in the darkness, and they seemed to pierce Vinyl like glass while warming her like sunlight.

"It is not a concern any longer. Your friend was not the one we seek. The issue has been rectified, and she will be returned."

The figure's eyes seemed to glow brighter as Vinyl stared. It suddenly felt very warm, and Vinyl began to sweat.

"She wasn't...?" Vinyl wiped her sweaty forehead off with a hoof, "Who are you seeking?"

"It was quite difficult to determine the one we seek with the mass population of Canterlot," The figure answered, his eyes lighting brighter and brighter, "Fortunately, we eventually determined the identity of the pony."

"W-who is it? Just tell me already!" Vinyl coughed, "Who is the one you seek?"

The figure's eyes burned even brighter, engulfing Vinyl in a blinding white. Vinyl couldn't scream, couldn't gasp, couldn't breathe in the intense heat. She could feel her mane burning, and her skin melting as the figure's gaze increased in power. Just before the heat became overwhelming, Vinyl heard his last words to her.

"You are."

And then the world vanished.

Vinyl blinked her eyes open as the morning sunlight streamed into the house from her open window. Outside, she could hear life in Canterlot continuing as normal. Vinyl sat up in her bed, and realized that her pillow was dripping with sweat. Vinyl looked around the room, thinking back to what had happened the previous night. What had happened to the figure? Derpy had fled, but what about-

"Octavia," Vinyl breathed, climbing out of her bed. Vinyl hurried out of her room and looked into Octavia's bedroom. Her heart sank and her eyes welled up when she saw the bed was empty.

Vinyl staggered into the living room, determined to sit on the porch until that figure came back, and froze when she saw Octavia in the kitchen, humming to herself as she brewed a cup of coffee to go with her donut. Octavia turned around to see Vinyl staring at her in complete bewilderment, and smiled.

"Good morning, Vinyl!" Octavia cheerfully greeted her friend, "I think Derpy must have left really early this morning. Must be because of her mail run... are you okay? You're so pale... Vinyl, you look like you've seen a ghost. Vinyl? Vinyl?"


End file.
